life & style // no. 16 theotherpress.ca What are the benefits of playing video games? > How video games can help you Lauren Paulsen Senior Columnist ountless studies have been done to determine whether video games are actually harmful, particularly to children. It has been said that playing video games can lead to violent behaviour, addiction, obesity, and social isolation. Researchers are now proving that many of these beliefs are either unprovable or outright false. Video games can actually offer a great deal of beneficial effects to players. Firstly, playing video games can be therapeutic. Not only can it help the average person to unwind and relax (depending on the game, of course), but it can also help people with chronic or mental illness. It has been found that when a person with an injury or other type of pain plays video games there is actually a reduction in the pain level. It allows the brain to focus on something else and essentially distracts the player. Not only that, but it also causes the brain to produce an analgesic or pain-killing response. The more immersive the game, the better this response. Concerning mental health, playing video games has been known to help people with depression and anxiety. Just like when you exercise, dopamine is released in the brain while playing video games. This is a chemical that induces a “happy” feeling in people. It can also help boost a person’s confidence, particularly when the player succeeds at a challenging task. Another benefit that video games provide concerns the health of your body. Those games that get you active and up out of your chair are very good for exercise. But even when you are sitting and using a controller, the use of the controller actually improves your fine motor skills in your hands. This has successfully helped stroke victims regain use of their hands. A somewhat surprising benefit of playing video games has to do with your vision. Playing fast-paced first-person shooter games is now known to improve the players “contrast sensitivity function,” which is a person’s ability to determine subtle changes in brightness. This is something that is crucial when driving in the dark. Playing these types of games has also proven to be successful in treating both cataracts and the condition known as lazy eye. Playing video games also increases the gray matter in certain parts of the brain, Image via thinkstock including those spaces used for spatial navigation, memory formation, and strategic planning. A German researcher, Simone Kiihn, believes that because of these findings, video games could be used to help patients with mental disorders that shrink brain matter, including schizophrenia, PTSD, and Alzheimer’s. It has been proven that when elderly people play puzzle games and other brain teasers it actually slows the onset of dementia, and just playing two hours per week is enough. The benefits of becoming multilingual > Why you should learn another language Lauren Paulsen Senior Columnist “I don’t have enough time.” “It’s too hard.” “English is spoken everywhere, I don’t need to learn another language.” Many people come up with excuses as to why they won't learn another language. You know what? There are no good excuses not to, but there are hundreds of reasons why you should. Did you know that four out of five people in the world don’t speak English? If you remain monolingual, you are cutting yourself off from most of the world’s population. This prevents you from making new friends, new contacts, or even finding your soul mate. Learning another language opens a new world for you. Not only that, but you can truly immerse yourself in another culture, gaining a deeper understanding of people, and becoming more open-minded as you learn more about them. Learning about a culture without knowing their language is like passively watching a movie, instead of actually engaging in life. Another major benefit from learning languages is the boost in brainpower it gives you. Countless studies have shown that when you learn another language your memory improves, you gain a longer attention span, and you can even reduce the risk of dementia later in life. Learning a language actually changes the grey matter in your brain (this is the area which processes information) in the same way that lifting weights builds muscles. Doing this actually makes it easier for a person to learn new skills, and not just language based ones. Something else that students will find really helpful is that it has been proven that students who are studying another language actually score better on standardized tests, especially in reading, vocabulary, and even math (yes, learning another language actually helps you learn math). Another language can even help you with decision making. It has been proven that when a person thinks about decisions in a foreign language, they are less emotionally biased and choose the more logical outcome. That can really help when it comes to things like finances. Outside of the brain, learning another language opens up a lot of doors in the workplace. You increase your value to potential employers when you know another language. If there is a choice between two potential candidates for a job, even if they have almost identical résumés, the person who knows more languages is the more likely to be hired. Another worldly benefit is that knowing another language can greatly enhance your travelling experiences. Not only do you meet more people, but when you go to another country and speak ’ iF ht cma J he cy - to the natives there in their language it shows them respect and they will really appreciate the effort you’ve made. This also helps boost your confidence, especially since strangers and friends will be impressed. Plus, it helps you to avoid falling into “tourist traps.” Scammers are less likely to go after you if you seem more like you belong. Being multilingual also helps you when you watch foreign films or read foreign novels. So many times nuances are lost in translation, and badly done subtitles or dubs can really The idea that playing video games creates social isolation has been proven false. Playing video games has actually been shown to improve social skills in children and they become better team players. This is because when playing multiplayer games it is necessary to act as a team. Also, many virtual social communities have popped up surrounding many different games. It turns out that most people don’t actually even play alone. Over 70 per cent of gamers play with friends for a large portion of their gaming. Other benefits gamers can gain are improved problem- solving skills and decision making, increased cognitive flexibility, increased multi- tasking abilities, and better hand-eye coordination. It also enhances creativity and a large portion of games indirectly teach the players studious skills such as language, math, and history. It even increases a person’s attention span, something proven to help kids with dyslexia. After playing video games, these kids were better able to focus on reading afterwards, most likely because the fast-paced action games they had been playing require intense focus. Video games really do have a lot to offer us. On top of everything else, they are just plain fun. al / Image via www. brainrider.com alter the original meaning. Not only that, but some languages actually have words for things that cannot be translated back into the English language. Did you know that the German language actually has a word for a person’s face that makes you so mad that you want to punch it? The word is “backpfeifengesicht.” Staying monolingual really denies you a more enriched life. Become a more interesting person. Challenge yourself. Stop making excuses, and go learn another language. You'll only benefit.